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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — certain
  4. staff — a stick
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — for digging
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. staff — employees
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — to recline

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