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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — soda
  8. rest — a break
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. field — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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