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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rock — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — of water
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — the season
  21. capital — a city
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. march — the month

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