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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — in music
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — for money
  23. tear — to rip
  24. perch — for a bird

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