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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: roll · bank · game · root · rash · bat · sharp · cap

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. root — of a word
  7. rash — a series
  8. bank — for money
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. roll — a list
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. root — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. root — the cause
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bat — the animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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