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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cell — in biology
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — a series
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. can — to be able to
  24. foot — a measure

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