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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: spring · bulb · lean · suit · cold · hide · firm · saw

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. firm — decided
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lean — thin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — the season
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. firm — a company
  16. suit — to fit
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — of water
  19. suit — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — an illness

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