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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — in cards
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rash — a series
  23. mug — a face
  24. spring — of water

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