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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — help
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. suit — in cards
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — the month
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. pound — a weight

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