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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stock — shares
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spring — of water
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stock — goods
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cell — a phone

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