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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bank — of a river
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — a series
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. club — a group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. saw — the tool

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