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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — all right
  4. land — to come down
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — a subject
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bass — low music

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