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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — the season
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — of water
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — ground
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — certain
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. row — to paddle
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — an injury
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wound — an injury

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