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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: mark · toast · bank · bowl · roll · stick · land · prune

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — a list
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — a country
  19. bank — of a river
  20. land — to come down
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. 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