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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bank — of a river
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — a law
  5. net — after costs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. net — for catching
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. calf — a young animal

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