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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. deal — to handle
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bound — certain
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — of a river
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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