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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — a subject
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — farmland
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — a series
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — for sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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