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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rash · drill · leaves · land · cue · bank · squash

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — hasty
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — a series
  16. bank — for money
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cue — a signal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — of a river

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