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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spring — the season
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to tire
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — of water
  15. bore — to drill
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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