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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — final
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bear — the animal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for dancing

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