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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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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: mug · sharp · fall · spring · lie · ground · rest · club

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fall — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — to rob
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — to recline
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rest — a break

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