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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — a video
  7. plane — a tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — a company
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. firm — decided
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. firm — steady
  24. dip — a sauce

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