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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — happening now

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