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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
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: bank · rash · spring · kick · pitcher · content · date · mate

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. date — the fruit
  3. content — happy
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kick — in football
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. content — the amount
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. mate — a partner

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