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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 120 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: wind · bank · rest · squash · chest · fork · row · rash

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — a line
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. row — to paddle
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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