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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: mate · content · pit · pitcher · bank · wind · rush · track

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — the amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. content — happy
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rush — hurry
  20. track — a path
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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