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

Word bank: bank · cap · row · toast · pop · wind · racket · fan

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bank — for money
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. row — a line
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bank — for money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — soda
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pop — to visit
  24. toast — bread

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