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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — of water
  4. board — a committee
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. present — there
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. board — to get on
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. present — the time now
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  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