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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — help
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cap — a hat
  24. drill — army training

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