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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fine — all right
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — finally
  6. swing — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. last — to go on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — in a road
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. last — final
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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