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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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Word bank
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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: bank · lash · rest · saw · track · cold · key · roll

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. roll — a cake
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a list
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a path
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a song
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bank — for money
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — in music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rest — a break
  24. saw — the tool

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