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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: spring · bank · mine · dip · bulb · sharp · mate · chest

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — of a river
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — for digging

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