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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pop — music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chest — a box
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — boats
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — soda
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. scale — in music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — for money

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