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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — a break
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — magic
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cell — in biology
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — letters

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