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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — in control
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — of water
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. charge — a price
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — in music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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