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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — a city

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