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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. staff — employees
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bank — of a river
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to click
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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