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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. ground — crushed
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bank — for money
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a music group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. club — for golf

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