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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. march — the month
  3. bank — of a river
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — music
  8. capital — money
  9. bulb — for light
  10. march — the month
  11. present — a gift
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. bank — for money
  19. mug — a face
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — to rob

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