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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bank — for money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — a stone
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — shares
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — lets stay

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