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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — to eat
  9. band — a ring
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. file — a document
  13. current — happening now
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — electric
  18. mark — a grade
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — of water
  24. chip — for betting

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