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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — to paddle
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — there
  5. cap — a lid
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a match
  8. present — the time now
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cap — a hat
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — of a river

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