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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — child
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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