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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. foot — a measure
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — magic
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bank — for money
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — a path
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spell — letters

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