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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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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. scale — size or range
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. bound — certain
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bank — for money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — obliged
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — moving air

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