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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. net — after costs
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. net — for catching
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — a phone
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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