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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. row — a line
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — a weight
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. race — a contest
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. calf — a young animal

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