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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spell — magic
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — tied together
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — to paddle
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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