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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. bank — for money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. current — of water
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — of ice
  9. current — electric
  10. hand — help
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — a break
  20. track — a path
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. cap — a hat
  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