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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. bank — for money
  4. date — the fruit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — of a king
  8. file — a document
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. court — for sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. spell — a short time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — the season
  20. object — an aim
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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