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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — steady
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — to recline
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — to tease
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spring — a coil
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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