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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ball — a dance
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — the underground
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — of water
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ball — a round shape

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