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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bank — of a river
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — for catching
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — in cards
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. track — a song
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — help
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — in sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — gave birth

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