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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — a break
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bank — of a river
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — of water
  9. bank — for money
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a line

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