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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — a stick
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a ring
  9. bank — for money
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. club — for golf
  15. band — a music group
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — of a river
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. staff — employees

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