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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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