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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — of water
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rule — government
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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