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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to click
  8. file — a document
  9. bank — for money
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. file — a tool
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rest — what's left
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rock — music
  21. can — a tin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — of a river
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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