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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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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — a position
  17. tube — a container
  18. ball — a dance

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