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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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 — of a river
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — in golf
  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