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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rest — what's left
  3. firm — decided
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — the season
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spring — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. firm — a company
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a line
  23. rest — a break
  24. wake — before a funeral

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