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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: game · wind · rule · key · bank · wake · mine · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bank — of a river
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. game — a match
  14. bank — for money
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — government
  20. key — in music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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