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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — to tease
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bound — certain
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — help
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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