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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: lash · bank · chest · swing · ball · roll · mark · wind

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. roll — a list
  17. ball — a great time
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. swing — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chest — a box

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