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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a document
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bass — the fish
  20. file — a line of people
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mark — a trace

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