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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spring — the season
  6. cell — a phone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — a coil
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a match
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — final
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — to go on
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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