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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. branch — a division
  5. current — of water
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — a break
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stand — to bear
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — to go on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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