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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — of a word
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cue — for pool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. content — happy
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a document

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