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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: squash · dip · cell · club · hand · date · bank · game

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — in cards
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. game — wild animals
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. club — for golf
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bank — of a river
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. date — on the calendar

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