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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
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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 · drill · wind · suit · cap · prune · staff · bore

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — army training
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spring — the season
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — clothes
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. drill — a practice
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — the tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cap — a lid

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