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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — to confront

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