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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — letters
  15. season — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. calf — of the leg

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