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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — a measure
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — the season
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — for money
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bank — of a river
  24. net — for catching

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