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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cell — a phone
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — the time now
  20. cap — a hat
  21. present — there
  22. rock — music
  23. field — farmland
  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