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

Word bank: content · rule · charge · bank · wake · band · row · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. row — a line
  5. content — happy
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rule — government
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. band — a ring
  11. content — the amount
  12. charge — in control
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. charge — a price
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — of a river
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wake — a trail
  24. charge — electricity

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