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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 going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. bank — for money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — certain
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bank — of a river
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. perch — the fish
  14. season — of the year
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  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