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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rock — a stone
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — certain
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — in a race
  11. band — a music group
  12. plane — a tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a ring
  17. rock — music
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — a coil
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spring — the season
  24. plane — an aircraft

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