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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — in control
  6. ground — a position
  7. spring — of water
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — a price
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — electricity
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ground — the earth
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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