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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. bank — for money
  4. band — a music group
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — for golf
  24. bear — to put up with

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