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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: rash · deal · bat · arm · hand · spring · bank · cap

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — of water
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spring — the season
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. deal — to handle

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