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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: game · arm · date · wind · hand · bulb · cell · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — a match
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. game — wild animals
  15. date — the fruit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bank — for money
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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