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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. band — a music group
  12. rest — a break
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — in a road

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