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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — letters
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wound — an injury

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