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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spring — of water
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rest — a break
  5. track — a path
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — a list
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — the season
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — a song

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