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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — in sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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