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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — a break
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spring — of water
  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