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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lean — to bend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — for money
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. root — of a plant
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bank — for money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — army training
  16. root — of a word
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — low music
  19. root — the cause
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — a practice
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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