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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitcher — a jug

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