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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — of a river
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — in a race
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — to wash

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