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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pop — soda
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — the animal
  12. toast — bread
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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