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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spring — the season
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — a coil
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spring — of water
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — for money
  11. roll — a list
  12. suit — to fit
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bank — of a river
  16. board — a committee
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bank — for money
  23. suit — clothes
  24. temple — side of the head

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