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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — the season
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — a trace
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — goods
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — ground
  21. stock — shares
  22. mark — a grade
  23. key — in music
  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