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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bank — of a river
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a tool
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. file — a document
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the sport

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