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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to tire
  4. season — of the year
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. bore — to drill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — of water
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — the season
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bank — for money
  19. club — a group
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spring — a coil

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