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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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 — of water
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. race — the arms race
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — a price
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — a coil
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. charge — in control
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — for betting
  19. charge — electricity
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. race — humankind
  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