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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — for money
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — letters
  8. bank — for money
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — of a river
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — a trail

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