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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. track — a path
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — the tool
  8. track — a song
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — to keep track
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — a friend
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — belonging to me

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