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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — letters
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to click
  21. net — for catching
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rash — a series

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