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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — electric
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. march — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — the season
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — of water
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — happening now

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