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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — to go on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — final
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bore — to drill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — a series
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — finally
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bank — for money

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