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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · date · bank · content · spell · lash · game · tube

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — the amount
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — for money
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tube — the underground
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a match
  17. tube — a container
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spell — letters
  21. content — happy
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. game — a kind of play

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