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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lean — thin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. trunk — of a car

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