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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. game — wild animals
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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