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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 120 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: cabinet · bank · pitcher · spring · staff · bowl · bound · foot

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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