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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to confront
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — the season
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spring — a coil
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rush — hurry

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