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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: rush · game · wound · bank · fine · firm · cell · kid

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — child
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a match
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — of a river
  19. firm — a company
  20. rush — hurry
  21. firm — steady
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. firm — decided
  24. fine — a penalty

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