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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — farmland
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a cup
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — for sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — an injury

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