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

Word bank: racket · clip · deal · wind · bank · cabinet · rash · fine

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — a video
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — a series
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bank — for money
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bank — for money
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rash — hasty

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