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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. track — to keep track
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — a song
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — to bend
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mug — a face
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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