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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spring — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. mug — a face
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — of the year

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