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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — obliged
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. rash — a series
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bound — certain
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mine — an explosive

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