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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. object — an aim
  8. current — of water
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — the season
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fine — all right
  18. object — a thing
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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