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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bat — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bank — of a river
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — in sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — tied together
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spring — of water
  18. last — final
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wax — to grow
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bound — certain
  23. bank — for money
  24. spring — the season

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