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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — before a funeral

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