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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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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: object · hand · temple · lean · wind · bank · mine · row

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. lean — thin
  7. object — a thing
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bank — of a river
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — help
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bank — for money
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — to rest against

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