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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rest — a break
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rule — government
  19. ground — crushed
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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