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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bank — for money
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a document
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fine — all right
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fine — a penalty

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