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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kick — in football
  6. spring — of water
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cabinet — ministers

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