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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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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of a king
  9. cell — a phone
  10. current — electric
  11. court — of law
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — for money
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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