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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — of water
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — for money
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. present — the time now
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bank — of a river

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