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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — to protest
  10. board — a committee
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — a thing
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — to get on
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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