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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — hasty

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