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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — of a river
  4. charge — a price
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — for money
  8. tube — a container
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. charge — in control
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — electricity
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — for sport
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cold — not warm
  19. field — a subject
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mug — to rob

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