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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — the most important part
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spell — magic
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — in music
  12. spell — letters
  13. field — farmland
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bank — for money
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — of water
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — in music
  24. field — for sport

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