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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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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: wake · lean · spring · suit · mark · date · bat · bank

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — of water
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — of a river
  19. suit — clothes
  20. date — the fruit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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