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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. land — a country
  13. season — in sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — to come down
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pound — a weight
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ruler — for measuring

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