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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — electric
  7. mug — a face
  8. bank — for money
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — a coil
  17. current — happening now
  18. present — the time now
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — the season
  23. present — there
  24. bank — of a river

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