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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. track — to keep track
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — a song
  14. squash — to crush
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. track — a path
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tear — from crying

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