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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — the time now
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. present — a gift
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. present — there
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — a trainer

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