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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — of water
  8. land — a country
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — to push
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. staff — employees

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