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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 124 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. face — to confront
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — a position
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. staff — a stick

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