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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bank — for money
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — there
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — the time now
  18. bank — of a river
  19. present — a gift
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wind — to turn a key

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