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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — an aim
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — help
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. hand — in cards
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — a thing
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bank — of a river
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. racket — a loud noise

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