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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stand — to bear
  8. last — final
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — of water
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. capital — a city
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. roll — a list
  24. capital — a big letter

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