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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — for sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — in biology
  6. suit — clothes
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. field — a subject
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spring — a coil
  20. shower — to wash
  21. field — farmland
  22. shower — rain
  23. cell — a phone
  24. squash — the sport

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