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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kick — in football
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. clip — a video
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — ground

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