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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — for catching
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — a tool

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