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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — music
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. spring — the season
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pass — a permit
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fan — a supporter

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