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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — the sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — ground
  9. kick — in football
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. firm — decided
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — a company
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. land — a country
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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