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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bank — for money
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — a weight
  9. snap — to click
  10. mug — to rob
  11. march — the month
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mug — a cup
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. march — music
  22. mug — a face
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mark — a trace

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