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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. date — the fruit
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — for money
  12. object — to protest
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. object — a thing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. object — an aim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — of a river

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