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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: toast · last · pass · bat · bore · pitcher · bank · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — final
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bank — of a river
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. spring — the season
  24. bank — for money

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