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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. club — for golf
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — wild animals
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. hand — in cards
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spring — the season
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — the cause
  14. club — for dancing
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spring — of water
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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