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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a match
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. charge — a price
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — in control
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — electricity

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