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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. season — in sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. drill — a practice
  6. content — the amount
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — army training
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. band — a ring
  14. drill — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. content — happy
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — a break
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a music group

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