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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — in sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — in music
  13. season — of the year
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pop — music
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. key — the most important part

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