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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spring — of water
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — in control
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. charge — a price
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. drill — army training
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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