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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — soda
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ball — a dance
  10. staff — employees
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — a stick

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