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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 124 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spring — of water
  3. roll — a cake
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — for money
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — for money
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — a list
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stock — goods

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