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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. current — happening now
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. current — of water
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — a box
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. march — music
  21. current — electric
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lash — an eyelash

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