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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. content — the amount
  10. rock — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a music group
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. band — a rubber band

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