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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a ring
  11. present — the time now
  12. bore — to tire
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bore — to drill
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. band — a music group

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