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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — a line
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. current — of water
  8. content — happy
  9. bank — of a river
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. current — electric
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spell — letters
  24. bank — for money

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