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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · bank · date · bear · perch · pit · chest · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bank — for money
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bank — for money

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