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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — there
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. present — the time now
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spring — the season
  17. cap — a hat
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cap — a lid
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bank — of a river

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