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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — the season
  7. present — a gift
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — a weight
  11. present — the time now
  12. spring — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — there
  24. mine — an explosive

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