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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — army training
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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