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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — farmland
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — soda
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — for sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — to visit
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a line

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