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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. staff — employees
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. object — to protest
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. object — an aim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the sport
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. object — a thing
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. racket — for tennis

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