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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — of water
  9. chip — to eat
  10. court — of law
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — for sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mine — belonging to me

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