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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spell — magic
  3. lean — thin
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. spell — a short time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. band — a ring
  16. club — a group
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spell — letters
  19. club — for dancing
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. club — for golf

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