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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — in sport
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pit — in a race
  12. net — after costs
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. net — for catching
  17. mug — to rob
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — a face
  21. pit — a hole
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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