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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a city
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rock — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — a stone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. shower — rain

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