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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pound — a weight
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — shares
  23. lean — thin
  24. stock — a soup base

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