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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — help
  5. craft — a skill
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spring — the season
  10. craft — boats
  11. spring — a coil
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. band — a music group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. board — to get on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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