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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — a coil
  7. track — a path
  8. current — happening now
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — decided
  11. bank — for money
  12. current — electric
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — of water
  15. firm — a company
  16. bank — of a river
  17. firm — steady
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — to keep track
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spring — the season
  24. racket — a loud noise

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