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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pop — soda
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ball — a great time

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