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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — help
  3. present — there
  4. capital — money
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bank — for money
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — in cards
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. track — a song
  19. toast — bread
  20. bank — of a river
  21. present — a gift
  22. content — happy
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. content — videos and posts

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