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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. root — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mug — a face
  11. root — the cause
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bound — obliged
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bank — for money
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — a series
  24. bank — for money

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