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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — for catching
  5. band — a ring
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. roll — a list
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — of water
  24. band — a music group

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