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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. racket — for tennis

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