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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — in sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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