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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — after costs
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — an aim
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. net — in sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. object — a thing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a ring
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a music group
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — a container
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — to protest
  24. staff — employees

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