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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — not warm
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. firm — decided
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. firm — a company
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. firm — steady
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — a video
  24. bank — of a river

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