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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — a container
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — after costs
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — for catching

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