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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bank — for money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a ring
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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