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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — obliged
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — tied together
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pop — music

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