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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 120 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: pop · spring · wax · rest · mine · bound · fan · bank

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — certain
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — of water
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — the season
  24. bank — for money

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