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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mug — a face
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bank — for money
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — a series

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