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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — happy
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bank — of a river
  24. hide — to keep secret

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