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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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 — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bound — certain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spring — the season
  9. spell — magic
  10. band — a music group
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  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