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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · court · toast · date · spring · bound · bank · lean

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — certain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — a break
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — thin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — obliged
  15. toast — bread
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — the season
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bank — for money

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