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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 116 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: lean · last · wake · rash · pop · court · bank · fall

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. court — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pop — soda
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — for money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — of a king
  16. bank — for money
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fall — the season
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — finally
  24. bank — of a river

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