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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bank — for money
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — for sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — a container
  18. bank — for money
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — a trainer

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