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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: wake · stick · pit · racket · hand · dip · kick · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kick — in football
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pit — a hole
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hand — help
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. racket — a loud noise

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