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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — thin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a word
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. march — the month
  11. last — final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. root — the cause
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a plant
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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