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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — the underground
  4. race — humankind
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spell — letters
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spell — magic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — a signal

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