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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 the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. firm — decided
  8. land — a country
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — to come down
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — help
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — of a river
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — moving air

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