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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bank — for money
  3. content — happy
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chair — a leader
  9. band — a ring
  10. craft — boats
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a music group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bank — for money
  24. hide — animal skin

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