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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — soda
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. season — in sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — the season
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — of the year

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