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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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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: sharp · rash · wind · mug · bank · date · toast · cold

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. toast — bread
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — the fruit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — a series
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rash — hasty
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mug — a cup
  19. sharp — clever
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bank — for money
  24. mug — a face

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