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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — in music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a document
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — for digging
  11. face — part of the head
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to confront
  16. bank — for money
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — to point toward
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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