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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. plane — a tool
  5. present — there
  6. firm — decided
  7. present — the time now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. row — a line
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — electric
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — of water

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