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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. bank — for money
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — final
  7. track — to keep track
  8. firm — steady
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. row — a line
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. capital — money
  18. last — to go on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. last — finally
  24. capital — a city

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