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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — of a river
  4. can — a tin
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — obliged
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bound — certain
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — to tease
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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