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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — for money
  17. roll — a list
  18. bass — low music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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