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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — of a river
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — child
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — before a funeral

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