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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — happening now
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — to rob
  9. suit — clothes
  10. game — a match
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. current — of water
  13. suit — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. suit — to fit
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bank — of a river

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