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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: bank · chair · object · pit · club · pitcher · prune · mug

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. club — a group
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bank — for money
  9. object — to protest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mug — a face
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — a cup
  20. object — a thing
  21. club — for golf
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — to sit on

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