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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. swing — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. swing — in golf
  12. race — a contest
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. race — the arms race
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — to visit

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