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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spell — magic
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a face
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — of water
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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