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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — to paddle
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — happy

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