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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — of ice

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