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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. last — final
  7. spring — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — finally
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — to go on

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