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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — the season
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — of water
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bank — for money
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. clip — for paper

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