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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: squash · charge · bank · deal · cap · saw · wake · club

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — a hat
  7. charge — in control
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — for golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. saw — the tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. club — a group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. deal — to handle
  20. charge — electricity
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bank — of a river
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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