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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spring — the season
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — there
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spring — of water
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — a video
  16. present — a gift
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — certain
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bank — for money
  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