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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fork — in a road
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rest — a break
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. shower — rain
  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