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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.

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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: sharp · content · bulb · mate · bank · ground · pitcher · spring

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mate — a partner
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ground — a position
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spring — the season
  23. bank — of a river
  24. content — happy

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