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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a music group
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bore — to tire
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. can — to be able to
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bank — of a river

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