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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: cold · bound · spring · bank · last · present · rash · mouse

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — there
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — of a river
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. last — final
  9. spring — of water
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — finally
  13. bank — for money
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — certain
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mouse — the animal

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