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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: staff · track · bank · bulb · row · season · hand · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — a song
  5. season — in sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a line
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — of a river
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — a path
  16. hand — in cards
  17. season — of the year
  18. staff — employees
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — to keep track
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — a stick

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