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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: mine · shower · nail · spell · bulb · spring · scale · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. scale — size or range
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — rain
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — the season
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mine — for digging
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — of water
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bank — for money

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