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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — an illness
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — for catching
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — not warm
  15. row — a line
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — after costs
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bank — for money
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. drill — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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