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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — not warm
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — ground
  10. object — an aim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. staff — a stick
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — to crush
  17. land — to come down
  18. bank — of a river
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. deal — an agreement

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