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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — a path
  7. row — to paddle
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — soda
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. row — a line
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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