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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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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bank — of a river
  3. net — for catching
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — to play on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. dip — to sink
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. kid — child
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — after costs
  21. swing — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. net — in sport

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