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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spring — of water
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — the season
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — army training
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — the tool

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