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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — a committee
  9. rule — a law
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. board — to get on
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — a series
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a car

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