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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. board — a committee
  9. bank — for money
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. board — to get on
  13. pop — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. band — a music group
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. temple — side of the head

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