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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — thin
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stand — to bear
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. spring — of water

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