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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — electric
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — the season
  22. current — of water
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fall — to drop

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