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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: pitcher · hand · kid · charge · bank · row · fall · mouse

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. charge — a price
  3. row — a line
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. charge — in control
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fall — the season
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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