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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. row — a line
  7. bore — to tire
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bank — for money
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — a position
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wound — an injury

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