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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.

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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. bank — for money
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — a hint
  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