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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — to rip
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — clever
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. march — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — animal skin

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