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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. club — a group
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — a box
  8. root — the cause
  9. bank — of a river
  10. current — electric
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — for money
  14. current — happening now
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. club — for golf
  17. net — after costs
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — in a road

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