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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: jam · lean · cue · bank · last · object · bark · land

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lean — thin
  3. land — a country
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bank — for money
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — finally
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. object — a thing
  15. bank — for money
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — an aim
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — ground
  24. lean — to rest against

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