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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 120 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: object · dip · content · pass · degree · spring · mine · net

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. object — an aim
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — a coil
  7. content — the amount
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. object — a thing
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — happy
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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