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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — tied together
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — a series
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pit — in a race
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — final
  22. bound — certain
  23. clip — a video
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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