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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spring — a coil
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — to wash
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spring — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — rain

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