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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bound — certain
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — ground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. land — a country
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — tied together
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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