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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · bank · pop · content · toast · dip · kid · wound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — the amount
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kid — child
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — to tease
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spring — of water
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. toast — bread
  24. bank — of a river

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