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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bank — for money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — rain
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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