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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — the season
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. present — the time now
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. present — there
  10. file — a document
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. present — a gift
  14. spring — of water
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a line of people
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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