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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. present — a gift
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — to sink
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — hasty
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — there
  24. dip — a sauce

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