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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 · mark · cold · mine · lash · fork · rush · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bank — for money
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cold — not warm

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