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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. land — ground
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — to come down
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rule — a law

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