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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a great time
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — rain
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — for catching
  13. spring — a coil
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — the season
  18. bank — of a river
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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