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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — help
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rest — a break
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — goods
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — shares
  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