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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. present — a gift
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mark — a trace
  15. file — a document
  16. present — there
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a tool
  19. club — a group
  20. present — the time now
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — a grade

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