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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bank — for money
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cue — a signal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — of a river
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — boats
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. bank — for money

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