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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. capital — money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tube — a container
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. roll — a list
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — a partner
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mate — a friend
  24. leaves — lets stay

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