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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. firm — steady
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. firm — a company
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a list
  22. firm — decided
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rush — a thrill

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