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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. content — the amount
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to click
  8. bore — to tire
  9. content — happy
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chest — a box
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — of your body

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