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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — of water
  10. spell — letters
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — a cup
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — to go on
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — final
  21. bound — tied together
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — finally

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