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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bank — for money
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bank — for money
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bank — of a river
  22. firm — decided
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. firm — a company

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