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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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468
Word bank
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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bank — of a river
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — thin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cold — an illness
  24. branch — a division

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