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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cold — not warm
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — music

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