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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. object — an aim
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — a thing
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bank — of a river
  11. current — of water
  12. hand — help
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — in a road
  23. object — to protest
  24. cold — an illness

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