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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — for digging
  18. capital — a city
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. capital — money
  22. ball — a dance
  23. key — in music
  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