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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — humankind
  13. object — a thing
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. club — for golf
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — a contest
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. roll — a list
  22. club — a group
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wound — an injury

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