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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. net — after costs
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. charge — a price
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a music group
  8. bank — for money
  9. band — a ring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cue — for pool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — in control
  23. cue — a hint
  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