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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. root — of a word
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. root — the cause
  8. file — a tool
  9. kid — child
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rock — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stock — goods
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — shares
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rock — a stone

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