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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. roll — a list
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to drill
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. firm — steady
  8. land — ground
  9. bore — to tire
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — a signal
  15. content — happy
  16. firm — decided
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — of a river
  22. firm — a company
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — an explosive

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