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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spring — the season
  6. net — after costs
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — in music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bank — of a river
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. net — for catching
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — for money

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