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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rash — a series
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bank — for money
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — of the year
  24. track — a path

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