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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. drill — army training
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spring — of water
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — a practice
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pop — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spring — a coil
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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