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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — the season
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — for a computer

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