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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — happy
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — rain
  14. land — a country
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bank — for money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. land — to come down

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