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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — low music
  5. land — a country
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bank — for money
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. staff — a stick

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