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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: net · rash · mine · squash · tear · straw · bank · shower

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — for catching

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