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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rest — a break
  12. rash — a series
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rash — hasty
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spring — of water
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — to put up with

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