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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. present — the time now
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. present — there
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. game — wild animals

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