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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — in sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — an illness
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. dip — to sink

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