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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 116 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: bore · lie · spring · land · wake · scale · race · pound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — the season
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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