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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rule — government
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — of water
  9. shower — rain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — certain
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wake — before a funeral

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