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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: cold · temple · dip · present · wind · bank · pitcher · mark

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cold — not warm
  5. present — there
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. present — a gift
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cold — an illness
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — of a river
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mark — a trace
  24. dip — a sauce

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