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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — of the year
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — the season
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rash — a series
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rash — on the skin

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