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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chest — a box
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — of water
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mug — a face
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — electric

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