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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — of water
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — of a river
  9. current — electric
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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