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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. land — a country
  4. march — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — bread
  8. march — the month
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. land — to come down
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. land — ground
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — for digging
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. vault — a safe

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