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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. toast — bread
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — certain

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