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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — the time now
  12. bank — of a river
  13. drill — army training
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — a gift
  22. mate — a friend
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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