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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — a tin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — a match
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bank — for money
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — the fish
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a ring
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. roll — a list

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