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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · pass · pop · drill · fine · spring · rash · bank

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — a series
  7. bank — for money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. drill — army training
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — child

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