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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — final
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — to go on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. suit — to fit
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — letters
  24. roll — a list

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