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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to click
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cold — not warm
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. perch — the fish
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bank — for money
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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