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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. rest — a break
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. spring — of water
  16. rock — music
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — the season
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pop — soda
  24. tube — a container

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