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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. kick — in football
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — the season
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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