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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rest — a break
  3. bank — of a river
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spring — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — for a lock
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. shower — rain

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