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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bound — certain
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — to rip
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — the season
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — to confront
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mouse — for a computer

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