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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. object — to protest
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — the season
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lean — thin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — an aim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — a permit

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