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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. firm — decided
  4. bank — for money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mark — a trace
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cold — an illness
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — not warm
  21. swing — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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