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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. branch — a division
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bank — of a river
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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