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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a cup
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — a face
  8. bank — of a river
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chest — a box
  13. present — the time now
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. present — there
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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