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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — the season
  5. clip — a video
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bank — for money
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spring — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. clip — for paper
  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