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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — help
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — a coil
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — of water
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pop — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spring — the season
  24. staff — employees

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