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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spell — magic
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — letters
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — thin

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