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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. spell — letters
  6. craft — boats
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — a stick
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — an illness
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spell — magic
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — a committee
  21. rest — a break
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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