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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · mug · pitcher · game · temple · stick · snap · march

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — a face
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a cup
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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