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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rock — music
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bulb — for light
  21. file — a tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — for light

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