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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bank — for money
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — a short time
  6. craft — boats
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. spell — letters
  14. tear — to rip
  15. club — for golf
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — shares
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. spring — the season
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — a group
  24. spell — magic

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