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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — the season
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — a coil
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bound — certain
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bound — tied together
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — a trainer

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