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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — certain
  6. cold — not warm
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bank — for money
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bank — of a river
  18. board — to get on
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — a committee
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — a series
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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