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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a document
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bank — for money
  18. land — a country
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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