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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a document
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rash — a series
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a tool
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rash — on the skin

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