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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spell — letters
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cell — a phone
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cap — a lid
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bank — of a river

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