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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tube — a container
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tube — the underground
  18. spring — the season
  19. club — for golf
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lie — to recline

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