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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. bound — certain
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — to handle
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — for digging
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — a coil

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