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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — an aim
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — for money
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — a thing
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — hasty
  13. swing — in golf
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — music
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — for money
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. charge — in control

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