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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rule — a law
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bank — for money
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rash — a series
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rule — government

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