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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — of water
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. land — to come down
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — to tire
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — a contest
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — a safe
  16. race — humankind
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spring — a coil

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