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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. band — a ring
  10. bank — for money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chip — to eat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — of a river
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — final
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. chip — for betting

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