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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
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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 · roll · season · nail · wax · bank · spring · ball

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ball — a dance
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — a list
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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