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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — the season
  14. ground — the earth
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — a group
  20. mine — for digging
  21. club — for golf
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. bank — of a river

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