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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — of a river
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. craft — boats
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bank — for money
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spring — of water

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