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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: date · toast · present · pitcher · lash · bowl · hand · bank

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. toast — bread
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bank — for money
  10. date — the fruit
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — there
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. present — a gift

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