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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spring — the season
  17. foot — a measure
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. foot — part of the body

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