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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · object · mouse · wind · wound · bat · spring · plane

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — the season
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — to turn a key

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