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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — happy
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. current — happening now
  8. bank — for money
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bank — of a river
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — electric
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. saw — the tool

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