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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — for sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pop — to visit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. court — of law
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — thin
  22. pop — soda
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — a coil

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