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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — of the year
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. season — in sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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