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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. content — the amount
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — an injury
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to click
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. club — a group
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. club — for golf
  23. bank — for money
  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