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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: spring · can · rash · swing · stick · cold · bank · last

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — the season
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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