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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — of a river
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — happy
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chest — a box
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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