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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bank — of a river
  6. object — to protest
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — a phone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — a thing
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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