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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — to put up with

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