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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 120 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — the season
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — to bend
  8. drill — a practice
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — letters
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lean — thin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lean — to rest against

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