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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. season — of the year
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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