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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spring — the season
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rest — a break
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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