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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — in sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bank — for money
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — of the year
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a match
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — a kind of play

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