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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. net — for catching
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — of a tree

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