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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a ring
  12. ground — a position
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ground — crushed
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — a coil

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