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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.

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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — thin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — a box
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chest — of your body

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