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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — to come down
  6. content — the amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mug — a face
  10. land — a country
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — ground
  13. content — happy
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bank — for money
  24. mug — a cup

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