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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · wind · bat · bank · cabinet · deal

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. 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. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bat — the animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — moving air
  18. 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