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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — final
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — rain
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spring — of water

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