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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a song
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bank — for money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. track — to keep track
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. track — a path
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — money

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