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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. club — a group
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. branch — a division
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chest — a box
  24. mate — to breed

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