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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: club · hide · bank · rash · mark · stick · current · tear

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. rash — a series
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mark — a trace
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — electric
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — for money
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bank — for money
  19. current — happening now
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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