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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — letters
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mark — a grade
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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