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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. bass — the fish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bear — to put up with

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