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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · staff · tube · bank · rest · hide · bound · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spring — a coil
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — a container
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bank — for money
  24. staff — a stick

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