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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. content — happy
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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