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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — a path
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — to come down
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. row — a line
  14. track — to keep track
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. press — to push
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bank — for money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — a song

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