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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — of a word
  4. last — to go on
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. rock — a stone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. root — the cause
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — final
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rash — a series
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. last — finally

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