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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. row — a line
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — a price
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — certain

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