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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. last — finally
  3. field — for sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — shares
  19. field — a subject
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — final

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