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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — a group
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — for money
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — a trail

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