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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — in sport
  21. firm — decided
  22. net — after costs
  23. spring — a coil
  24. firm — steady

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