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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — of water
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cold — an illness
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. march — music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — not warm
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. foot — part of the body

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