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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bank — for money
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a match
  22. cell — in biology
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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