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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — letters
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — the season
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — a law
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — of water
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — magic
  20. staff — employees
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. firm — decided
  23. lean — thin
  24. staff — a stick

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