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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: game · suit · spring · rash · land · fork · staff · bank

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — of a river
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — a series
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — a match
  15. land — a country
  16. staff — employees
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. land — to come down
  23. suit — clothes
  24. staff — a stick

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