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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spring — of water
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — a coil
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. bound — tied together
  18. race — a contest
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pop — music
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — soda

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