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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bore — to tire
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. land — ground
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — to come down
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — a country
  23. spring — the season
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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