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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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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: staff · ruler · snap · firm · bank · wind · last · sharp

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. last — final
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. firm — steady
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bank — for money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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