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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — help
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lash — an eyelash

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