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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — to rip
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cold — an illness
  9. row — a line
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. tear — from crying
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — of ice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cold — not warm

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