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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. squash — to crush
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. march — music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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