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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: content · toast · race · mouse · cap · spell · fan · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cap — a hat
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. spell — magic
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. toast — bread
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — happy
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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