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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — for money
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spell — magic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. spell — letters
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitcher — a jug

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