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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — letters
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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