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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: mark · pop · spring · roll · shower · object · stand · game

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — a match
  4. object — to protest
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — a cake
  7. shower — rain
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. object — a thing
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mark — a grade
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — a coil

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