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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — thin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ground — a position
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a lid
  11. roll — a cake
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — a list
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bank — of a river
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. toast — bread
  24. bank — for money

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