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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a music group
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bank — for money
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — the season
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — ministers

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