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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. dip — to sink
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — to go on
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. last — final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — the season
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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