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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. roll — a list
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bank — for money
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — clothes
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cold — an illness
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. suit — in cards

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