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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. last — finally
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — final
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bank — for money
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com