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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  3. fall — the season
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rash — a series
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a face
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — goods
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  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