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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — child
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spring — of water
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. club — for golf
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. rush — to hurry

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