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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — to fit
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — army training
  6. roll — a list
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. suit — in cards
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. drill — the tool

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