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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: fine · lean · straw · mark · bank · leaves · last · spell

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — magic
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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