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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — for money
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — a path
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bank — of a river
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — employees
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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