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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pound — a weight
  6. track — to keep track
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. swing — music
  14. snap — to click
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. track — a song
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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