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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. swing — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. charge — in control
  17. mug — a cup
  18. swing — to play on
  19. charge — a price
  20. spring — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — electricity

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