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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — of a river
  6. craft — a skill
  7. content — the amount
  8. object — a thing
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. land — a country
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. content — happy
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — boats
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — to protest
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — a sick person

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