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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — thin
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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