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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a music group
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mine — belonging to me

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