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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — finally
  8. object — to protest
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — letters
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — a short time
  16. object — an aim
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. object — a thing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. last — final

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