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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — of a river
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bank — for money
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — final
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — finally

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