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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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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: sharp · spell · deal · mouse · fall · tube · cold · bank

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. spell — magic
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fall — the season
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. spell — letters

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