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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — of a river
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — electric
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. current — of water
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — happening now
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. swing — in golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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