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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pop — music

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