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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: chest · bowl · kid · suit · rash · bank · bear · hand

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kid — child
  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