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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — for money
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. prune — the fruit

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