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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. object — an aim
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mark — a grade
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. kid — child
  11. spring — the season
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. object — a thing
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mark — a trace

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