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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. roll — a cake
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — in cards
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — a list
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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