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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — in biology
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — the amount
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. content — happy
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spell — magic

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