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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rest — a break
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — of the year
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ball — a great time
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — in sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. field — a subject

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