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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. suit — in cards
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mate — to breed
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — a country
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. land — ground
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. chair — a leader
  22. land — to come down
  23. suit — to fit
  24. tear — from crying

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