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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kid — child
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bank — for money
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — low music
  24. land — ground

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