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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — the fish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — for sport
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — a coil
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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