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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — a division
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — a coil
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bank — for money
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chest — a box
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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