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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bank — of a river
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — a position
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cue — a hint
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — of water
  19. cue — a signal
  20. current — electric
  21. bank — for money
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. prune — the fruit

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