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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — a tin
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — a match
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — a line
  13. bank — for money
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — magic

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