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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.

Make a worksheet

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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — the underground
  19. game — a match
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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