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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bass — the fish
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — thin
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — happy
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — the amount
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fine — all right
  20. current — electric
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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