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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — certain
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a dance

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