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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — for money
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mate — a partner
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chip — for betting
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — lets stay

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