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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. net — in sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rock — music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — for catching
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. racket — for tennis

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