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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. key — in music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. key — for a lock

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