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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. drill — army training
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — a stone
  22. scale — in music
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in a prison

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