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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: mine · rash · cap · face · club · pass · spring · ground

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — for golf
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — of ice
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — to confront
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — a group
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cap — a lid

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