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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · squash · bank · fan · deal · land · mine

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. bank — for money
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bank — of a river
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — ground
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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