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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a path
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pop — music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. row — a line
  13. season — of the year
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pop — to visit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. season — in sport
  18. shower — rain
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pop — soda
  21. branch — a division
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bank — for money
  24. branch — of a bank

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