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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — a position
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lean — thin
  24. hand — help

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