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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pop — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — soda
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bank — of a river

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