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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 124 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. club — for golf
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — for dancing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spring — the season
  23. cell — in a prison
  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