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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. face — part of the head
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — of a river
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bank — for money
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spring — a coil
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — the season
  24. capital — a city

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