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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — a group
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for golf
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — for dancing
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mine — belonging to me

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