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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rush — hurry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. race — a contest
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bank — for money
  19. bulb — for light
  20. race — humankind
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to click
  24. race — the arms race

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