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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — a series
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. craft — boats
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a document
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a tool

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