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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spring — the season
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — a lid
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rock — a stone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — lets stay

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