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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — a series
  5. cap — a lid
  6. content — happy
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — for money
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hand — help
  19. spring — of water
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bank — for money
  23. rest — a break
  24. hand — in cards

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