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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: bank · toast · track · cue · mouse · cold · rest · spring

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — of water
  3. cold — an illness
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. toast — bread
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — a song
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rest — a break
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — the season

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