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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bank — of a river
  6. band — a ring
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a music group
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — in music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fork — in a road
  20. court — for sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. court — of law

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