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

Word bank: bass · bank · race · toast · calf · cell

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bass — the fish
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bank — for money
  11. toast — bread
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — a phone
  17. race — humankind
  18. bank — of a river

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