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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bound — tied together
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — a grade
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. lean — to bend
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — letters
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lean — thin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. spring — of water

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