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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — a face
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — of water
  13. current — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. current — electric
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bank — of a river
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

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