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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — for catching
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — for money
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — magic
  20. key — the most important part
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. key — for a lock

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