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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hand — help
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — electric
  9. hand — in cards
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — to shout
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — of a tree

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