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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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Word bank
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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: rock · roll · spell · dip · scale · bank · straw · wake

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rock — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. roll — a cake
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — letters
  15. bank — for money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rock — to move gently

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