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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. vault — a safe
  7. file — a document
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a line of people
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. file — a tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pound — for dogs

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