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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chest — a box
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — finally
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. last — final
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — to go on

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