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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. march — the month
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — tied together
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. root — the cause
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. root — of a word
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. game — wild animals
  21. march — music
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  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