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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bank — of a river
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — a tin
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rock — music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — finally
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bank — for money
  24. deal — an agreement

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