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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. swing — in golf
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the fish
  23. face — to confront
  24. swing — to play on

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