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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — to come down
  4. bank — of a river
  5. content — the amount
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. land — ground
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. content — happy
  13. cold — not warm
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — a country
  16. current — electric
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — a gift
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. present — the time now
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — there

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