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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — the animal

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