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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bank — for money
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — for money
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rush — hurry
  12. charge — a price
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. charge — in control
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. row — a line

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