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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lean — thin
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — a list
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bank — for money
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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