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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. last — finally
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — final
  24. bear — the animal

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