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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — the season
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a match
  21. face — to confront
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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