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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mug — a face
  6. bank — of a river
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. mug — a cup
  13. clip — a video
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. degree — from a university

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