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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — a city
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spring — the season
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — all right
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — letters
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fine — high quality
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spring — of water

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