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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spring — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — electricity
  8. firm — a company
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. firm — decided
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — a video
  20. firm — steady
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — in control
  23. staff — employees
  24. charge — a price

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