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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. firm — a company
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — a division
  5. firm — steady
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a great time
  18. firm — decided
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — of water

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