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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. track — a path
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — magic
  5. track — a song
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — the month
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. last — final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. march — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spell — letters

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