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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — soda
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spring — of water
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pop — music
  20. bore — to drill
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — to visit
  24. leaves — lets stay

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