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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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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: bowl · cell · bank · racket · fork · chest · mouse · hand

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bowl — a football final

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