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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — help
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. land — a country
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — ground
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fall — the season
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bank — for money
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — in 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