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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 · bowl · ball · field · wake · mug · bank · chest

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mug — a face
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bank — for money
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — for sport
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. field — a subject
  24. ball — a dance

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