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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — a gift
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — of a river
  24. temple — side of the head

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