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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bank — for money
  7. band — a music group
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. row — a line
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bank — of a river
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bound — obliged
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bound — certain
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — a city
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — the fruit

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