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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. band — a ring
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spring — of water
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — certain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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