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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rock — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bank — for money
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. bank — of a river
  17. file — a document
  18. spring — a coil
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rock — a stone

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