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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. march — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. bank — for money
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — of a river
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — the month
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — the month

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