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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spring — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — a series
  10. ground — a position
  11. board — a committee
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — to get on
  24. wind — moving air

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