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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — tied together
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hand — in cards
  19. row — a line
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bank — of a river
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — certain

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