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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — before a funeral

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