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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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