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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: perch · tear · deal · mine · bank · current · jam · lash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. perch — the fish
  10. current — electric
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. current — happening now
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — of a river
  22. tear — from crying
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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