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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stock — shares
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

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