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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — for catching
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. land — to come down
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bank — of a river
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. bank — for money
  15. land — a country
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a line
  18. land — ground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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