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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pop — soda
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — to come down
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. land — a country
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fan — to cool the air

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