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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 124 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. can — a tin
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. scale — in music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — for digging
  24. net — after costs

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