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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. club — for golf
  3. land — a country
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — the season
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. club — a group
  13. wound — an injury
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — a song
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. bank — for money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — an injury

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