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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — the season
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bowl — to roll

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