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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — for sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — for money
  23. rock — music
  24. bank — of a river

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