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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: chest · mug · mine · charge · pound · rock · bank · firm

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mug — to rob
  9. charge — in control
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — a face
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bank — for money
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rock — a stone

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