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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. craft — boats
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spell — letters
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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