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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bank — of a river
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. degree — temperature
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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