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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.

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: fall · spring · bank · wound · rush · hand · root · racket

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fall — the season
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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