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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 120 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: bat · rock · tube · march · hand · can · bank · pit

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bank — of a river
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — help
  8. can — a tin
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rock — music
  14. tube — a container
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pit — a hole
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — in cards
  21. tube — the underground
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — in a tire

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