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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. object — to protest
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — a thing
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — on your feet

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