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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rash — a series
  14. spring — a coil
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pop — music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — soda
  21. march — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  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