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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — to come down
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bank — of a river
  13. land — ground
  14. bank — for money
  15. club — for golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — electric
  22. club — a group
  23. land — a country
  24. spring — the season

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