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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — the season
  7. drill — army training
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — letters
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — a short time
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — to come from
  22. band — a music group
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — a stem cell

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