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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 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a line
  3. bank — of a river
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. board — to get on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. board — a committee
  18. sharp — clever
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — in music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. club — a group
  23. roll — a list
  24. club — for golf

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