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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 116 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: club · content · current · wind · bank · field · tear · trunk

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — happening now
  10. club — a group
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. current — of water
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — to rip
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wind — to turn a key

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