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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — help
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — the sport
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spring — the season

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