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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — certain
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bass — low music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a face
  21. chest — a box
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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