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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — of water
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. race — humankind
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — to handle
  18. dip — to sink
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — hurry
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fall — the season

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