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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — help
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — to rip

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