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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — a position
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mouse — the 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