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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bank — for money
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — music

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