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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mark — a trace
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — the season
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. spring — of water
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mark — a grade
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — to paddle
  24. nail — for a hammer

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