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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. last — final
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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