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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: wind · leaves · deal · bank · fall · sharp · row · bay

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bank — for money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — to turn a key

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