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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a line of people
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — in cards
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — a contest

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