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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — magic
  10. kick — in football
  11. spring — the season
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — letters

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