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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — of a river
  16. band — a ring
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. band — a rubber band

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