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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. root — the cause
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. current — happening now
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. current — of water
  24. kick — a thrill

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