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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — a company
  6. spell — letters
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — help
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. charge — a price
  14. firm — steady
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. charge — in control
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. charge — electricity

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