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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — to breed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chest — a box

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