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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — low music

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