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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — boats
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spring — the season
  10. can — a tin
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. craft — a skill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — for sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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