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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. firm — steady
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — a gift
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — there
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — to rip
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — the time now

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