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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a tool
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — certain
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — letters
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — tied together
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. file — a line of people

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