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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. rush — hurry
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. drill — army training
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bore — to drill

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