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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. shower — rain
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bank — for money
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a ring
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. prune — to trim

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