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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lean — to bend
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — in cards
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spring — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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