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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: hide · bank · ruler · bowl · toast · spring · band · mug

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mug — a face
  5. bank — of a river
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — the season
  9. bank — for money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mug — to rob
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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