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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — of a river
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wake — a trail
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — of a tree
  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