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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: bulb · fan · land · key · wind · file · bank · spring

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. spring — the season
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — for a lock
  20. file — a line of people
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — to turn a key

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