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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. kid — child
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bass — the fish
  7. object — an aim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — to protest
  10. press — to push
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bass — low music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. object — a thing
  18. press — a publisher
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bank — for money
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — newspapers
  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