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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — a face
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. roll — a list
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mug — to rob
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — the tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — in cards
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. drill — army training
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to click
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — an untruth

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