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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. foot — a measure
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. board — to get on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — a group
  18. board — a committee
  19. club — for dancing
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  24. club — for golf

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