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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. bank — for money
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bank — for money
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bank — of a river
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — a series
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. season — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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