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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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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: toast · rock · ground · bear · nail · rest · spring · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. object — an aim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — a thing
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rest — a break
  17. spring — of water
  18. rest — what's left
  19. toast — bread
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bear — the animal

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