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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in biology
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. land — to come down
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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