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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to sink
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — the season
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. land — to come down
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — a short time
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — letters
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ground — a position
  24. spell — magic

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