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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — a stick
  4. date — the fruit
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — the season
  8. net — in sport
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mug — a cup
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — after costs
  15. spring — of water
  16. bank — for money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. shower — rain
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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