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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — ground
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. land — a country
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. craft — boats
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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