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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — the season
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fine — high quality
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — of water
  14. fine — all right
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pit — a hole
  18. key — the most important part
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fine — a penalty

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