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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — not warm
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rash — a series
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rash — on the skin

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