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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stock — goods
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — shares
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — a break
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — videos and posts

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