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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — to go on
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — a young animal

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