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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — of water
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bank — of a river
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — a division
  11. spell — letters
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rush — a thrill

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