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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spring — of water
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mug — a cup
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — a face
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — a country
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — happy
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — ground

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