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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mug — a face
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — there
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tube — a container
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mug — to rob
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — a cup
  18. present — a gift
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — the time now
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. squash — the vegetable

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