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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: fine · wound · spring · saw · bank · ground · present · rash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — high quality
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — all right
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rash — a series
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — there
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spring — of water

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