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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. content — the amount
  3. suit — in cards
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bank — for money
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — to confront
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. suit — to fit
  24. content — happy

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