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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — in cards
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — help
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. bank — of a river
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — for betting

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