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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · object · mine · bulb · kid · fan · key · cap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. object — an aim
  7. key — in music
  8. object — a thing
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. object — to protest
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — of water
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fan — a supporter

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