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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pass — a permit
  3. spring — the season
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. mug — a face
  23. spring — of water
  24. mine — for digging

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