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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — of water
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stock — shares
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — the season
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stock — goods
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bank — for money
  24. rush — to hurry

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