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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. key — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — obliged
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bank — of a river
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kid — child
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — for sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. field — farmland
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bank — for money

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