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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — a position
  4. face — to confront
  5. ground — the earth
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. face — to point toward
  11. swing — to play on
  12. craft — boats
  13. swing — music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. face — part of the head
  16. swing — in golf
  17. craft — a skill
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spring — the season
  24. bore — to drill

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