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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a committee
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. board — to get on
  17. snap — to click
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. game — wild animals
  24. board — a flat piece

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